Method of sending data based on network priorities

Abstract

An operation method of a switching device in an Ethernet-based network includes: receiving a first frame containing original data from an end node; generating a second frame containing the original data; duplicating the original data to generate duplicate data; and generating a third frame containing the duplicate data and an indicator indicating that the third frame contains the duplicate data.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0007442, filed on January 21, 2016, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. BACKGROUND 1. Technical field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to data transmission methods and more specifically to data transmission methods based on priority reassignment in a vehicle network. 2. Description of related prior art

[0003] The number and variety of electronic devices installed within a vehicle have increased significantly along with the recent digitalization of vehicle components. Electronic devices can currently be used anywhere in the vehicle, such as a powertrain control system (e.g., an engine control system, an automatic gearshift control system, or the like), a body control system (a body electronic equipment control system, a comfort control system, a lamp control system, or the like), a chassis control system (e.g., a steering device control system, a brake control system, a suspension control system, or the like), a vehicle network (e.g.,a controller area network (CAN), a FlexRay-based network, a media oriented system transport (MOST)-based network, or the like), a multimedia system (a navigation device system, a telematics system, an infotainment system, or the like), etc.

[0004] The electronic devices comprising each of these systems are connected via the vehicle network, which supports functions of the electronic devices. For example, the CAN can support a transmission rate of up to 1 Mbps and can support automatic retransmission of conflicting messages, error detection based on a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the like. The FlexRay-based network can support a transmission rate of up to 10 Mbps and can support simultaneous data transmission over two channels, synchronous data transmission, and the like. The MOST-based network is a communication network for high-quality multimedia that can support a transmission rate of up to 150 Mbps. Meanwhile, a vehicle's telematics system, infotainment system, and enhanced safety systems require higher transmission rates and system expandability.However, CAN, FlexRay-based networks, and the like may not be able to adequately support such requirements. In particular, the MOST-based network can support a higher transmission rate than CAN and FlexRay-based networks. However, applying the MOST-based network to vehicle networks can be costly.

[0005] Due to these limitations, an Ethernet-based network is often used as a vehicle network. The Ethernet-based network can support bidirectional communication over a pair of wires and can support a transmission rate of up to 10 Gbps. The Ethernet-based vehicle network can support a plurality of communication nodes. The communication node can be a gateway, a switch (or bridge), an end node, or the like. The end node can send a frame containing original data to the switch. The switch can also receive the frame from the end node and generate an original frame containing the original data. The switch can also generate duplicate data by duplicating the original data and generating a duplicate frame containing the duplicate data.

[0006] The original frame can be transmitted via a main path, and the duplicate frame can be transmitted via a redundant path. Meanwhile, if a priority of the original frame (e.g., priority of the original data contained in the original frame) is identical to the priority of other frames to be transmitted via the main path (e.g., priorities of data contained in the other frames), preferential transmission of the original frame cannot be guaranteed. SUMMARY

[0007] The present disclosure provides a method for transmitting data based on priority remapping in a vehicle network.

[0008] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an operation method of a switching device in an Ethernet-based vehicle network includes: receiving a first frame containing original data from an end node; generating a second frame containing the original data; duplicating the original data to generate duplicate data; and generating a third frame containing the duplicated data and an indicator indicating that the third frame contains the duplicated data.

[0009] The method of operation may further include transmitting the second frame over a main path; and transmitting the third frame over a redundancy path.

[0010] The second frame may further include an indicator indicating that the second frame contains the original data.

[0011] A drop eligible indicator (DEI) field included in a medium access control (MAC) header of the second frame may be set to a first value and a DEI field included in a MAC header of the third frame may be set to a second value.

[0012] A priority of the original data can be identical to a priority of the duplicated data.

[0013] The original data may contain data based on audio-video bridges (AVB protocol).

[0014] Further, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, an operation method of a switching device in an Ethernet-based vehicle network includes: detecting a first frame containing first original data; duplicating second original data to generate second duplicated data; detecting a second frame containing the second duplicated data; changing a priority of the second duplicated data from an original value to a lower value than a priority of the first original data; and transmitting the first frame over a communication channel.

[0015] The operation method may further include changing the priority of the second duplicated data to the original value and transmitting the second frame over the communication channel.

[0016] The operation method may further include changing the priority of the second duplicated data to the original value and transmitting the second frame over the communication channel.

[0017] The operation method may further include, when the priority of the first original data is identical to the priority of the second duplicated data, setting the priority of the second duplicated data to a lower value than the priority of the first original data.

[0018] Changing the priority of the second duplicated data may further include setting the priority of the second duplicated data to a highest priority value of priority values ​​belonging to a best effort (BE) class.

[0019] The first frame may further include an indicator indicating that the first frame contains the first original data.

[0020] The second frame may further include an indicator indicating that the second frame contains the second duplicated data.

[0021] A drop eligible indicator (DEI) field included in a media access control (MAC) header of the first frame may be set to a first value and a DEI field included in a MAC header of the second frame may be set to a second value.

[0022] The first original data and the second original data may contain data based on Audio Video Bridge (AVB) protocol.

[0023] When the first original data and the second duplicated data are detected, the switching device may be determined to belong to a contention section used for both a main path and a redundancy path, and the priority of the second duplicated data may be set to a lower value than the priority of the first original data.

[0024] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case where there are a plurality of data to be transmitted over a path, and corresponding data included in the plurality of frames have different priorities, a priority of duplicated data among the data included in the plurality of frames may be changed to a lower value than priorities of original data among the data included in the plurality of frames. Thus, the original data can be preferentially transmitted before the duplicated data. After completion of the transmission of the original data, the priority of the duplicated data can be changed to its original priority value, and accordingly, the transmission of duplicated data can also be guaranteed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Forms of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing, in detail, forms of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle network topology according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a communication node constituting a vehicle network according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating data transmission in a vehicle network, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another data transmission in a vehicle network according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Fig.5 is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission method according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an Ethernet frame, according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission method according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0033] Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a base queue according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] It should be understood that the above-referenced drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0035] Hereinafter, forms of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As those skilled in the art would appreciate, the described forms may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, throughout the specification, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular forms only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.

[0037] It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term, as used herein, includes motor vehicles generally, such as passenger cars including sports utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, internal combustion, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than petroleum).

[0038] Although embodiments are described herein as utilizing a plurality of units to perform the example process, it is understood that the example processes may also be performed by one or a plurality of modules. Additionally, it is understood that the term controller refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store the modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes described further below. Furthermore, it is understood that the units or modules described herein implement a controller for controlling the operation of the unit or module.

[0039] Furthermore, control logic of the present disclosure may be embodied as non-transitory computer-readable media on a computer-readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, controller, or the like. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, compact disk (CD)-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards, and optical data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed among network-coupled computer systems such that the computer-readable media is stored and executed in a distributed manner, e.g., through a telematics server or a controller area network (CAN).

[0040] Since the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and takes several forms, specific forms are shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific forms; on the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and alternatives falling within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0041] Relational terms such as first, second, and the like may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first component may be called a second component without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and the second component may similarly be called the first component. The term "and / or" means any one or a combination of a plurality of related and described elements.

[0042] When it is mentioned that a certain component is "coupled to" or "connected to" another component, it is understood that the certain component is directly "coupled to" or "connected to" the other component, or another component may be located therebetween. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a certain component is "directly coupled to" or "directly connected to" another component, it is understood that another component is not located therebetween.

[0043] Unless specifically stated or clear from context, as used herein, the term "about" is understood to mean within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example, within two standard deviations of the average. "About" may be understood to mean within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clearly stated from context, all numerical values ​​provided herein are modified by the term "about."

[0044] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains. Terms such as terms commonly used and found in dictionaries should be construed as having the meanings consistent with contextual meanings in the art. In this specification, unless clearly defined, terms are not ideally interpreted as excessively formal meanings.

[0045] Hereinafter, forms of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the disclosure, to facilitate overall understanding of the disclosure, like numerals refer to like elements in the description of the figures, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0046] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle network topology according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, a communication node included in the vehicle network may be a gateway, a switch (or bridge), or an end node. The gateway 100 can be operated with at least one switch 110 , 110-1 , 110-2 , 120 and 130 and can be configured to connect different networks. For example, the gateway 100 Connection between a switch that supports a Controller Area Network (CAN) (e.g., FlexRay, Media Oriented System Transport (MOST), or Local Interconnect Network (LIN)) protocol and a switch that supports an Ethernet protocol. Each of the switches 110 , 110-1 , 110-2 , 120 and 130 can be connected to at least one of the end nodes 111 ,112 , 113 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 131 , 132 and 133 Each of the switches 110 , 110-1 , 110-2 , 120 and 130 can the end nodes 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 131 , 132 and 133 connect and at least one of the end nodes 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 131 , 132 and 133 that are connected to the switch.

[0048] The end nodes 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 131 , 132 and 133 may include an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control various types of devices mounted within a vehicle. For example, the end nodes111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 131 , 132 and 133 the ECU included in an infotainment device (e.g., a display device, a navigation device, and a surround view monitoring device).

[0049] The communication nodes (e.g., a gateway, a switch, an end node, or the like) included in the vehicle network may be connected in a star topology, a bus topology, a ring topology, a tree topology, a mesh topology, or the like. In addition, the communication nodes of the vehicle network may support the CAN protocol, FlexRay protocol, the MOST protocol, the LIN protocol, or the Ethernet protocol. Forms of the present disclosure may be applied to the above network topologies. The network topology to which forms of the present disclosure may be applied is not limited thereto and may be configured in various ways.

[0050] Fig.Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a communication node comprising a vehicle network according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Notably, the various methods discussed below may be performed by a controller having a processor and memory.

[0051] As in Fig. 2, a communication node 200 a network a PHY layer unit 210 and a control unit 220 In addition, the communication node can 200 further comprise a regulator (not shown) for supplying current. In particular, the control unit 220 be implemented to include a medium access control (MAC) layer.

[0052] A PHY layer unit 210 can be configured to receive or send signals from or to another communication node. The control unit 220can be configured to be the PHY layer unit 210 and perform various functions (e.g., an infotainment function or the like). The PHY layer unit 210 and the control unit 220 can be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) or can alternatively be implemented as separate chips.

[0053] Furthermore, the PHY layer unit 210 and the control unit 220 via a media-independent interface (MII) 230 be connected. The MII 230 may contain an interface defined in IEEE 802.3 and may include a data interface and a management interface between the PHY layer unit 210 and the control unit 220 included. Instead of the MII 230A reduced MII (RMII), a gigabit MII (GMII), a reduced GMII (RGMII), a serial GMII (SGMII), and a 10 GMII (XGMII) may also be used. A data interface may include a transmit channel and a receive channel, each of which may have an independent clock, data, and control signal. The management interface may include a two-signal interface: a clock signal and a data signal.

[0054] In particular, the PHY layer unit 210 a PHY layer interface unit 211 , a PHY layer processor 212 and a PHY layered storage 213 The configuration of the PHY layer unit 210 is not limited to this and the PHY layer unit 210 can be configured in different ways. The PHY layer interface unit 211 can be configured to output a signal from the control unit 220received signal to the PHY layer processor 212 and a signal from the PHY layer processor 212 received signal to the control unit 220 to send. The PHY layer processor 212 can be configured to perform operations of the PHY layer interface unit 211 and the PHY layered storage 213 The PHY layer processor 212 can be configured to modulate a signal to be transmitted or to demodulate a received signal. The PHY layer memory 213 may be configured to store the received signal and to store the stored signal based on a request from the PHY layer processor 212 , to spend.

[0055] The control unit 220 can be configured to be the PHY layer unit 210 using the MIII 230 to monitor and control. The control unit 220can be a control interface unit 221 , a control processor 222 , a main memory 223 and a sub-storage 224 included. The configuration of the control unit 220 is not limited to this and the control unit 220 can be configured in various ways. The control interface unit 221 can be configured to receive a signal from the PHY layer unit 210 (e.g. the PHY layer interface unit 211 ) or an upper layer (not shown), the received signal to the control processor 222 to send and from the control processor 222 received signal to the PHY layer unit 210 or upper layer. The control processor 222 may further comprise an independent memory control logic or an integrated memory control logic for controlling the control interface unit 221, of the main memory 223 and the sub-storage 224 The memory control logic can be implemented in main memory 223 to be contained and the substore 224 can be implemented in the control processor 222 to be included.

[0056] Furthermore, both the main memory 223 as well as the sub-storage 224 be configured to be a control processor 222 processed signal and can be configured to read the stored signal based on a request from the control processor 222 The main memory 223 may be a volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) configured to store data necessary for the operation of the control processor 222 needed to temporarily store data. The sub-store 224may be a non-volatile memory in which an operating system code (e.g. a kernel and a device driver) and an application program code for performing a function of the control unit 220 A flash memory with a high processing speed, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a compact disc – read only memory (CD-ROM) for large-capacity data storage can be used as the non-volatile memory. Typically, the control processor 222 a logic circuit having at least one processing core. A core from the Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) family or a core from an Atom family can be used as the control processor 222 be used.

[0057] A method performed by a communication node and a corresponding counterpart communication node in a vehicle network is described below. Although the method (e.g., signal transmission or reception) performed by a first communication node is described below, the method is applicable to a second communication node corresponding to the first communication node. In other words, when an operation of the first communication node is described, the corresponding second communication node may be configured to perform an operation corresponding to the operation of the first communication node. Additionally, when an operation of the second communication node is described, the first communication node may be configured to perform an operation corresponding to an operation of a switch.

[0058] Fig.3 is a block diagram illustrating a data transmission example in a vehicle network according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0059] As in Fig. 3, each end node 301 and 302 and switches 310 , 320 , 330 , 340 , 350 and 360 an identical or similar structure to that of the referring Fig. 2 explained communication node 200 The end nodes 301 and 302 and the switches 310 , 320 , 330 , 340 , 350 and 360 can support IEEE 802.1AS, IEEE 802.1Qav, IEEE 802.1Qat, IEEE 802.1BA, IEEE 802.1CB, etc. Here, the end node 301 be a speaker and can be the terminal node 302 be a listener corresponding to the speaker.

[0060] The end nodes 301 and 302can reserve a power transmission based on a Power Reservation Protocol (SRP). For example, the end node 301 send an announcement frame in a broadcast manner. The terminal node 302 can receive an announcement frame from the terminal node 301 receive and send a Ready frame, which is a response to the Announcement frame, to the end node 301 send. The end node 301 can get the ready frame from the end node 302 Using the procedure described above, the power transmission between the end node 301 and the end node 302 be reserved.

[0061] After the power transmission reservation is completed, the end node 301 generate a first frame containing first original data and transmit the generated first frame to the switch 310 The original data can be data based on the Audio-Video Bridge (AVB) protocol.

[0062] The desk 302 can get the first frame from the end node 301 received. The switch 302 can send frames over a plurality of paths for smooth transmission. The plurality of paths can be classified into a first main path and a first redundancy path. The first main path can be configured to "switch 310 - Switch 320 - Switch 330 - Switch 340 ” and the first redundancy path can be configured to be “switch 310 - Switch 350 - Switch 360 - Switch 340 " to be.

[0063] The desk 310 can receive the first original data from the first frame and create a second frame containing the first original data. Here, the second frame can be identical to the first frame. The switch can also 310generate first duplicated data by duplicating the first original data; and generate a third frame containing the first duplicated data. A priority of the first original data may be identical to that of the first duplicated data. For example, priorities of the first original data and the first duplicated data may be set to a stream reservation (SR) class A or an SR class B.

[0064] The desk 310 can send the second frame through the first main path and the third frame through the first redundant path. Here, the second frame and the third frame can be sent simultaneously. The switch 320 can remove the second frame from the switch 310 receive and send the received second frame to the switch 330 send. The switch 330 can remove the second frame from the switch 320 receive and send the received second frame to the switch340 Meanwhile, the switch can 350 the third frame from the switch 310 receive and send the received third frame to the switch 360 send. The switch 360 can remove the third frame from the switch 350 receive and send the received third frame to the switch 340 send.

[0065] The desk 340 can receive the second frame and the third frame. In the case that the switch 340 successfully receives the second frame containing the first original data (e.g., in the case that the second frame is not lost, or in the case that an error does not exist in the second frame), the switch 340 discard the third frame. Then the switch can 340 the second frame to the end node 302 send. The end node 302 can remove the second frame from the switch 340received and determine the first original data from the received second frame.

[0066] On the other hand, in the case where the second frame containing the first original data is lost, or an error exists in the second frame, if the third frame containing the first duplicated data is successfully received, the switch 340 the third frame to the end node 302 send. The end node 302 can remove the third frame from the switch 340 received and determine the first duplicated data from the received third frame.

[0067] Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating another transmission example in a vehicle network according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0068] As in Fig. 4, each of the end nodes 301 , 302 , 303 and 304 and switches 310 , 320 ,330 , 340 , 350 and 360 an identical or similar structure to that of the reference to Fig. 2 explained communication nodes 200 The end nodes 301 , 302 , 303 and 304 and the switches 310 , 320 , 330 , 340 , 350 and 360 can support IEEE 802.1AS, IEEE 802.1Qav, IEEE 802.1Qat, IEEE 802.1BA, IEEE 802.1CB, etc. Here, the end nodes 301 and 303 Speaker. The terminal node 302 a listener can be connected to the terminal node 301 and the terminal node 304 a listener can be connected to the terminal node 303 The end nodes 301 , 302 , 303 and 304 can reserve power transmissions based on SRP. The power transmission from the end node 301 to the end node 302may be identical or similar to the one referred to in Fig. 3 explained transmission. The power transmission from the end node 303 to the end node 304 can be done as follows.

[0069] After the power transmission reservation is completed, the end node 303 generate a fourth frame containing second original data and send the generated fourth frame to the switch 350 The second original data can also be data based on an AVB protocol. The switch 350 can get the fourth frame from the end node 303 received. The switch 350 can send frames through a plurality of paths for smooth transmission. The plurality of paths can be classified into a second main path and a second redundancy path. The second main path can be configured to "switch 350 - Switch 360 - Switch340 - Switch 330 ” and the second redundancy path can be configured then this arrangement of “switch 350 - Switch 310 - Switch 320 - Switch 330 ”.

[0070] The desk 350 can determine the second original data from the fourth frame and generate a fifth frame containing the second original data. Here, the fifth frame can be identical to the fourth frame. The switch can also 350 generate second duplicated data by duplicating the second original data and generate a sixth frame containing the second duplicated data. A priority of the second original data may be identical to that of the second duplicated data. For example, priorities of the second original data and the second duplicated data may be set to an SR class A or SR class B. The switch 350can send the fifth frame over the second main path and the sixth frame over the second redundant path. Here, the fifth frame and the sixth frame can be sent simultaneously.

[0071] The desk 360 can remove the fifth frame from the switch 350 receive and send the received fifth frame to the switch 340 send. The switch 340 can remove the fifth frame from the switch 360 receive and send the received fifth frame to the switch 330 Meanwhile, the switch can 310 the sixth frame from the switch 350 receive and send the received sixth frame to the switch 320 send. The switch 320 can remove the sixth frame from the switch 310 receive and send the received sixth frame to the switch 330 send.

[0072] The desk 330can receive the fifth frame and the sixth frame. In the case that the switch 330 the fifth frame that receives the second original data (e.g., in the case that the fifth frame is not lost, or in the case that an error does not exist in the fifth frame), the switch 330 discard the sixth frame. Then the switch can 330 the fifth frame to the end node 304 send. The end node 304 can remove the fifth frame from the switch 330 received and determine the second original data from the received fifth frame.

[0073] In contrast, in the case that the fifth frame containing the second original data is lost, or an error exists in the fifth frame, if the sixth frame containing the second duplicated frames is successfully received, the switch 330 the sixth frame to the end node 304 send. The end node304 can remove the sixth frame from the switch 330 received and determine the second duplicated data from the received sixth frame.

[0074] Meanwhile, the switch 310 have two frames that are connected to the switch 320 In the case that the two frames have different priorities, the switch can 310 a frame with a higher priority to the switch 320 and then send the other frame to the switch 320However, if the priorities of the two frames are identical, one frame containing the first original data and the other frame containing the second duplicated data, it is preferable to send the frame containing the first original data before sending the frame containing the second duplicated data. However, the frame containing the second duplicated data may occasionally be sent before the frame containing the first original data, and accordingly, the preferential transmission of the first original data cannot be guaranteed. The problem described above may also occur in other switches 320 , 330 , 340 , 350 and 360 appear.

[0075] In the description below, data transmission methods according to forms of the present disclosure described in Fig. 3 described vehicle network or in Fig.4. The vehicle network in which the data transmission methods are used is not limited to such vehicle networks. This means that the data transmission method explained can be applied to various vehicle networks.

[0076] Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a data transfer method according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0077] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, each of the end nodes 301 , Switch 310 , Switch 320 and switches 350 an identical or similar structure to that of the Fig. 2 described communication node 200 The terminal node can also 301 , Switch 310 , Switch 320 and switches 350 that in Fig. 3 described vehicle network and the one in Fig.4 described vehicle network. The end node 301 can be a speaker and attach a frame to the end node 302 which is a corresponding listener. The end node 301 may generate a first frame containing the first original data. The first original data may be AVB-based data. The first frame may be an Ethernet frame with the structure below.

[0078] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an Ethernet frame according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0079] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, an Ethernet frame 600 a preamble 610 , a MAC head, a payload 660 and a cyclic redundancy check / frame check sequence (CRC / FCS) field 670 The preamble 610 can have a size of 8 octets and can be used for timing synchronization. The MAC header can contain a destination address field 620, a source address field 630 , a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag field 640 and type length field 650 The destination address field 620 can be 6 octets in size and include identification information (e.g., a MAC address) and a communication node for receiving the Ethernet frame. The source address field 630 can have a size of 6 octets and contain identification information (e.g. a MAC address) of an Ethernet frame 600 sending communication nodes.

[0080] The VLAN tag field 640 can be a VLAN tag defined in IEEE 802.1Q. The VLAN tag field 640 can be a Tag Frame Identifier (TPID) field 641 and a Tag Control Information (TCI) field. The TPID field 641 can be 16 bits in size and used to identify a tag frame. The TCI can be replaced by a Priority Code Point (PCP) field 642, a drop eligible indicator (DEI) field 643 and a VLAN ID field 644 The PCP field can be 3 bits long and can specify a priority.

[0081] The DEI field 643 can be 1 bit in size and indicate whether the frame can be dropped in a specific environment (e.g., when traffic increases rapidly). For example, if the DEI field 643 configured as a binary value “0”, this can indicate that the Ethernet frame 600 is a frame that cannot be dropped. If the DEI field 643 configured as a binary value “1”, this can indicate that the Ethernet frame 600 is a frame that can be dropped. The VLAN ID field 644 can be 12 bits in size and can be used to identify a VLAN.

[0082] The type / length field 650can have a size of 2 octets and the Ethernet frame 600 Ethernet type supported by the sending communication node or the length of the Ethernet frame 600 For example, if the value of the type / length field 650 not greater than a decimal number 1500 the type / length field can 650 the length of the Ethernet frame 600 If the value of the type / length field 650 not less than a decimal number 1536 the type / length field can 650 specify the supported Ethernet type. The Ethernet frame 600 may further comprise a pad field and the pad field may be arranged according to the payload 660 be added.

[0083] On the other hand, the data contained in the frame may have a priority, and the priority may be classified into an SR class, a best effort (BE) class, etc. The priority of the SR class may be higher than that of the BE class. The SR class may also be classified into an SR class A and an SR class B. A priority of SR class A may be identical to or higher than that of SR class B. Table 1 below shows priorities of the respective classes. Table 1 Number of priority levels 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BE class 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SR Class B 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 SR Class A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BE class 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 0 0 1 2 2 3 4 0 0 1 2 3 4 5

[0084] The higher priority level indicates the higher priority. In the case where two priority levels 0 and 1 are used, the priority level of SR class A and SR class B can be set to "1", and the priority level of BE class can be set to "0". In the case where three priority levels 0, 1 and 2 are used, the priority of SR class A can be set to "2", the priority of SR class B can be set to "1", and the priority of BE class can be set to "0". In the case where four priority levels 0, 1, 2 and 3 are used, the priority of SR class A can be set to "3", the priority of SR class B can be set to "2", and the priority of BE class can be set to "1" or "0".In the case where five priority levels 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 are used, the priority of SR class A can be set to “4”, the priority of SR class B can be set to “3” and the priority of BE class can be set to “0”, “1” or “2”.

[0085] In the case where six priority levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are used, the priority of SR class A can be set to "5", the priority of SR class B can be set to "4", and the priority of BE class can be set to "0", "1", "2" or "3". In the case where seven priority levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are used, the priority of SR class A can be set to "6", the priority of SR class B can be set to "5", and the priority of BE class can be set to "0", "1", "2", "3" or "4". In the case where eight priority levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are used, the priority of SR class A can be set to “7”, the priority of SR class B can be set to “6”, and the priority of BE class can be set to “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, or “5”.

[0086] Referring again to Fig. 5 the PCP field 642of the first frame specify a priority corresponding to SR class A or B. The end node 301 can attach the first frame to the switch 310 send (S500). The switch 310 can get the first frame from the end node 301 receive and determine the first original data from the first frame. The switch 310 may generate a second frame containing the first original data (S510). The second frame may contain an indicator indicating that the second frame contains the first original data. For example, the DEI field 643 of the second frame as the indicator. The DEI field 643 of the second frame can be set to a binary value “0” and this can indicate that the second frame contains the first original data.

[0087] The desk 310may generate first duplicated data by duplicating the first original data and generate a third frame containing the first duplicated data (S520). A priority of the first original data may be identical to that of the first duplicated data. The third frame may contain an indicator indicating that the third frame contains the first duplicated data. For example, the DEI field 643 of the third frame as the indicator. The DEI field 643 of the third frame can be set to a binary value “1” and this can indicate that the third frame contains the first duplicated data.

[0088] The desk 310 can send the second frame through a main path (S530). In the case that the main path is designated as a “switch 310 - Switch 320 - Switch 330 - Switch 340 ”, the switch can 310the second frame to the switch 320 The switch can also 310 send the third frame via a redundancy path (S540). In the case that the redundancy path is configured as a “switch 310 - Switch 350 - Switch 360 - Switch 340 ”, the switch can 310 the third frame to the switch 350 Here the second frame and the third frame can be sent simultaneously.

[0089] The second frame can be connected to the switch via the main path 340 and the third frame can be sent to the switch via the redundancy path 340 In the event that the second frame containing the first original data is successfully received (e.g., in the case that the second frame is not lost or in the case that no error exists in the second frame), the switch 340discard the third frame. Then the switch can 340 the second frame to the end node 302 send. The end node 302 can remove the second frame from the switch 340 received and determine the first original data from the received second frame.

[0090] On the other hand, in the case that the second frame containing the first original data is lost, or in the case that an error exists in the second frame, if the third frame containing the first duplicated data is successfully received, the switch 340 the third frame to the end node 302 send. The end node 302 can remove the third frame from the switch 340 received and determine the first duplicated data from the received third frame.

[0091] Fig.7 is a flowchart illustrating a data transfer method according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0092] As in Fig. 7, a data transmission method in the reference to Fig. 4 described vehicle network. The data transmission process can be carried out by a switch (e.g. the switch 310 etc.) that has a connection that is used as a main path and also a redundancy path (or belongs to a contention section that is used for both a main path and a redundancy path). The switch 310 can detect a plurality of frames (S700). For example, the switch 310 first original data from the end node 301and generate a frame containing the first original data and a frame containing the first duplicated data created by duplicating the first original data. The switch can also 310 from the switch 350 receive a frame containing a second original data or a frame containing a second duplicate data generated by duplicating the second original data. In the following description, it is assumed that the plurality of frames includes the first frame and the second frame, the first frame contains the first original data, and the second frame contains the second duplicate data generated by duplicating the second original data.

[0093] The desk 310can determine whether a communication path of the first frame is identical to that of the second frame or not (S705). In the case that the path of the first frame is different from that of the second frame, the switch can 310 transmit the first frame and the second frame through respective paths (S710). On the other hand, in the case where the path of the first frame is identical to that of the second frame, the switch 310 determine whether the priority of the first original data contained in the first frame is identical to that of the second duplicated data contained in the second frame (S715).

[0094] In case the priority of the first original data is different from that of the second duplicated data, the switch 310transmit the first frame and the second frame based on their priorities (S720). For example, if the priority of the first original data is higher than that of the second duplicated data, the switch 310 send the first frame containing the first original data, and then send the second frame containing the second duplicated data. On the other hand, if the priority of the first original data is lower than that of the second duplicated data, the switch 310 send the second frame containing the second duplicated data and then send the first frame containing the first original data.

[0095] In the case that the priority of the first original data is identical to that of the second duplicated data, the switch 310 identify the DEI field of the first frame and the DEI field of the second frame (S725). This means that the switch 310can identify the values ​​of DEI fields to identify a frame containing original data or a frame containing duplicated data. Here, the priority of the first original data and the priority of the second duplicated data can be SR Class A and SR Class B, respectively. If the DEI values ​​of the first frame and the second frame are configured identically, the switch 310 send any of the two frames first and then send the other frame. On the other hand, if the DEI values ​​of the first frame and the second frame are configured differently, the switch 310 send the frames in the following manner.

[0096] In the case that the DEI field of the first frame is configured as a binary value of “0”, this can indicate that the first frame contains original data (e.g., the first original data). Thus, the switch 310queue the first original data according to the priority of the first original data (S730). In the case where the DEI field of the second frame is configured as the binary value "1", this may indicate that the second frame contains duplicated data (e.g., the second duplicated data). To assign the first original data a higher priority than the second duplicated data, the switch 310 reassign the priority of the second duplicated data so that the priority of the second duplicated data becomes lower than the priority of the first original data (S735). For example, the switch 310 Assign the highest priority of the BE class to the second duplicated data. The switch 310 may queue the second duplicated data according to the newly assigned priority (S740). The data queued in the above procedure can be explained as follows.

[0097] Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a queue according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] As in Fig. 8, the switch can 310 eight queues 801 , 802 , 803 , 804 , 805 , 806 , 807 and 808 In the case where priorities are classified into eight levels such as “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6” and “7”, the first queue 801 and the second queue 802 for AVB-based data and can use the third queue 803 , fourth queue 804 , fifth queue 805 , sixth queue 806 and seventh queue 807 for BE data. The first original data can be placed in the first queue 801and in the case that the priority of the first original data belongs to SR class A. The first original data can be placed in the second queue 802 in case the priority of the first original data belongs to SR class B. The second duplicated data, whose priority is reassigned, can be placed in the third queue 803 Accordingly, the first original data may preferably be sent before sending the second duplicated data.

[0099] As with reference to Fig. 7 the switch 310 generate a first frame containing first original data and transmit the generated first frame to another communication node (e.g. the switch 320 ) (S745). Then the first switch 310reassign the priority of the second duplicated data to its original priority (e.g., SR Class A or SR Class B), generate a second frame containing the second duplicated data with the newly assigned priority, and forward the generated second frame to another communication node (e.g., the switch 320 ) (S750).

[0100] The methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as program instructions executable by a variety of computers and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include a program instruction, a data file, a data structure, or a combination thereof. The program instructions recorded on the computer-readable medium may be specifically designed and configured for the present disclosure, or may be generally known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software.

[0101] Examples of the computer-readable medium may include a hardware device, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, specifically configured to store and execute the program instructions. Examples of program instructions include machine code, for example, made by a compiler, as well as high-level language code executable by a computer using an interpreter. The above example hardware device may be configured to operate as at least one software module to perform the operation of the present disclosure, and vice versa.

[0102] While embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail above, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0103] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0104] KR 10-2016-0007442

[0001] Cited non-patent literature

[0105] IEEE 802.3

[0053] IEEE 802.1AS

[0059] IEEE 802.1Qav

[0059] IEEE 802.1Qat

[0059] IEEE 802.1BA

[0059] IEEE 802.1CB

[0059] IEEE 802.1AS

[0068] IEEE 802.1Qav

[0068] IEEE 802.1Qat

[0068] IEEE 802.1BA

[0068] IEEE 802.1CB

[0068] IEEE 802.1Q

[0080]

Claims

[1] A method of operation of a switching device in an Ethernet-based vehicle network, the method comprising Receiving a first frame containing original data from an end node; Creating a second frame containing the original data; Duplicating the original data to create duplicate data; and Creating a third frame containing the duplicated data and an indicator indicating that the third frame contains the duplicated data. [2] The surgical method according to claim 1, further comprising: Sending the second frame over a main path; and Sending the third frame over a redundancy path. [3] The operation method according to claim 1, wherein the second frame further includes an indicator indicating that the second frame contains the original data. [4] The operation method according to claim 1, wherein a drop eligible indicator (DEI) field included in a media access control (MAC) header of the second frame is set to a first value [5] The operation method according to claim 4, wherein a DEI field included in a MAC header of the third frame is set to a second value. [6] The operation method according to claim 1, wherein a priority of the original data is identical to a priority of the duplicated data. [7] The operation method according to claim 1, wherein the original data includes data based on Audio Video Bridge (AVB) protocol. [8] A method of operating a switching device in an Ethernet-based vehicle network, the method comprising: Determining a first frame containing first original data; Duplicating second original data to create second duplicated data; Determining a second frame containing the second duplicated data; Changing a priority of the second duplicated data from an original value to a lower value than a priority of the first original data; and Sending the first frame over a communication channel. [9] The surgical method according to claim 8, further comprising: Changing the priority of the second duplicated data to the original value; and Sending the second frame over the communication channel. [10] The operation method according to claim 8, further comprising, when the priority of the first original data is identical to the priority of the second duplicated data, setting the priority of the second duplicated data to a lower value than the priority of the first original data. [11] The operation method according to claim 8, wherein changing the priority of the second duplicated data further comprises setting the priority of the second duplicated data to a highest priority value of priority values ​​belonging to a best effort (BE) class. [12] The operation method according to claim 8, wherein the first frame further includes an indicator indicating that the first frame includes the first original data. [13] The operation method according to claim 8, wherein the second frame further includes an indicator indicating that the second frame includes the second duplicated data. [14] The operation method according to claim 8, wherein a drop eligible indicator (DEI) field included in a media access control (MAC) header of the first frame is set to a first value. [15] The operation method according to claim 14, wherein a DEI field included in a MAC header of the second frame is set to a second value. [16] The operation method according to claim 8, wherein the first original data and the second original data include data based on Audio Video Bridge (AVB) protocol. [17] The operation method according to claim 8, wherein, when the first original data and the second duplicated data are detected, the switching device is determined to belong to a contention section used for both a main path and a redundancy path, and the priority of the second duplicated data is set to a lower value than the priority of the first original data.